DE 3,614,542 A1 discloses a cleaning apparatus for cleaning a plurality of cylinders within a rotary printing machine. In order to permit the device to be used with several different printing units in a printing machine, the disclosed cleaning apparatus is adapted to be moved in succession from one printing unit to another via a transport device. To this end, the transport device is associated with a guide system. The guide system is provided with a conveyor with an associated drive unit to provide the force for moving the transport device along the guide system from printing unit to printing unit.
The cleaning apparatus disclosed in DE 3,614,542 A1 has several disadvantages. For example, the disclosed apparatus is highly complicated and it takes a considerable amount of time to move the device from one printing unit to the next.
Another device for cleaning the cylinders of a printing machine is known from EP 0,591,634 A1. The device disclosed in EP 0,591,634 A1 can be moved into and out of an orifice formed in a machine frame parallel to the axis of a cylinder to be cleaned. When moved into the orifice, the washing device is received in a suspension device having linear guides. The suspension device possesses end-face connections for the coupling and uncoupling of supply lines such that, when the washing device engages the suspension device, it is automatically connected to the supply lines. After the washing device is coupled to the suspension device, both the suspension device and the washing device can be moved relative to the cylinder to be cleaned by compressed-air cylinders and coupler mechanisms.
The cleaning apparatus disclosed in EP 0,591,634 A1 has several disadvantages. For example, the compressed-air cylinders and the suspension devices considerably restrict the space available for performing servicing work within the orifice, and the linear guides and the coupler mechanism are complicated.